Specifically, the tubes or pipes used in the biopharmaceutical field are flexible pipes which are used to convey various biopharmaceutical substances, most often with the aseptic precautions required. In biopharmaceutical applications, this type of flexible pipe allows the circulation, passage, and communication of a fluid such as a biopharmaceutical fluid, and can be connected by means of a fluid connection either to a similar flexible pipe or to a vessel or container which may be rigid or flexible.
This vessel or container may be a flexible or semi-rigid bag, a rigid enclosure, a filter or filter cartridge, or any other device used in a biopharmaceutical assembly.
In a typical embodiment, for example, the fluid connections have an internal working diameter of between for example 4 millimeters and 30 millimeters.
In fluid connections between pipes, bags, enclosures, filter cartridges, and other biopharmaceutical devices, it is very common to use “quick” connections where a male connector is mated with a female connector. The connectors in question are usually made of plastic.
In order to ensure good performance in terms of fluid-tightness while considering manufacturing variations and the various admissible tolerances, it is usual to install one or more seals between the male part and the female part. In practice, an O-ring placed in an annular groove is often used.
It is easier to create such a groove in the male part (outer groove) than in the female part (inner groove), and therefore it is advantageous to have the O-ring in an annular groove on the male endpiece.
It is advantageous to provide a locking connection between the female connector and male connector to prevent unwanted or inadvertent detachment of the male-female connection. Conventionally, this locking is obtained by snap-fitting means. In practice, it is preferred to provide these snap-fitting means in integrated form, by the engagement of cooperating shapes of the female connector and male connector, as is disclosed in document U.S. Pat. No. 8,029,024.
To facilitate obtaining the plastic parts concerned, often there is at least one resilient tab in the female part, this resilient tab being pushed outward by the passage of the male endpiece toward the coupling position; the resilient tab then returns to a rest position where it abuts against an abutment surface that is part of the male connector, in the coupling position.
In addition, this configuration helps secure the snap-fit, as the flexible tabs must be spread apart in order to unlock the connection, which is more difficult to achieve than bringing the flexible tabs back toward the center (which would be the case if the flexible tabs were arranged on the male connector).
Another constraint lies in the requirement for a radially compact male-female coupling solution with its snap-fitting device; in particular the total radial footprint for a given internal working diameter of the fluid connection must be kept small.
However, in the above configuration, during the movement of inserting the male connector into the female connector, the free end of the flexible tab can interfere with the outer surface of the seal as the seal advances, which can damage the seal for example by scratching it.
There is therefore a need to propose an improvement that at least partially overcomes one of the aforesaid disadvantages of the known prior art.